On the most important evening of Samantha Payne’s career, she is mistaken for the coat check attendant—but as a woman in the liquor business, she knows a thing or two about being underestimated. Sam and her husband Drew have moved to London for her new job with a trendy vodka label, and with her touch, the brand begins to catch the attention of the city’s most important tastemakers. After work each Friday, Sam joins a vibrant group of co-workers at the pub and becomes especially close with fiery and glamorous Chloe, one of the only other women at the label.

Then one morning, news breaks that their vodka label is being acquired by a powerful global liquor giant. This could make or break Sam’s career in the industry—if she is one of the select few who makes the cut after the next three months. Things get turbulent in Sam’s tight-knit circle as rivalries ignite, loyalties blur, and political dynamics intensify. When Sam begins to notice the differences in how she and Chloe are treated compared to their male colleagues, she is determined to outsmart those standing in her way to keep the new life she’s built in London—and outrun the darkness in her past. Sam and Chloe gain the support of a young executive at the liquor company, but when Sam uncovers a secret that makes her question his true agenda, it sets them on a dangerous road as they unravel a deeper set of truths about power. As Sam navigates her shifting personal and professional relationships, she must decide how much she’s willing to risk to shatter the expectations holding her back.

Author Note

I was inspired to write Liquor & Women while working at the London headquarters of Diageo, one of the world’s largest liquor companies with brands that include Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, and Tanqueray. It was a dream job in a sexy industry with all the perks you can imagine—a spending allowance, access to exclusive events, the chance to work on celebrity partnerships. Sure, it was a male-dominated industry, but I was getting promoted, and, as the Brits say, I was smashing it.

Then something happened and for the first time, I realized—like most women do at some point in their careers—that no matter how talented, driven, confident, or “like one of the boys” I might try to be, I would never be able to outsmart people out of their biases. Double standards exist, invisible barriers emerge, power is imbalanced. But women still rise well above the challenge, and I wanted to celebrate the strength that takes.

So I wrote a book about it.